Irvine Island Surface Water Assessment
The Irvine Island Project is located on a small island off the northern Kimberley coast of Western Australia, about 130 km north of Derby. The proposed project involves mining of hematite iron ore, initial processing on the island then shipping of concentrate to Asia.
Irvine Island has a rich iron ore resource but is surrounded by sensitive marine environment. Substantial investigations were required as part of project planning and regulatory approval to ensure that the operations did not adversely affect the surrounding environment.
The prefeasibility study has been completed and environmental management investigations have been undertaken. Part of the environmental approvals required assessment of surface water.
Client
Pluton Resources
What we did
Robin worked on assessment of surface water aspects of the approvals investigations. This included:
- Characterising existing surface water characteristics through proposed development areas;
- Evaluating potential changes in streamflow with development using detailed modelling (DHI Mike SHE); and
- Evaluating structures for management of water quality and flow during and after mining.
Deliverables
The outcome of the study was documentation that defined how surface water would be managed to prevent impact on the receiving environments. This was included in the wider environmental approvals documentation.
